126 MONEY IN BEES IN AUSTEALASIA 



this account it is better to locate on a mixed forest if 

 possible. The "pure" forests, while yielding large crops, 

 are often deficient in some elements, so that strong 

 colonies of bees dwindle down to mere nuclei, and con- 

 sequently their removal to scrub country- — with pollen- 

 yielding plants — ^becomes imperative. 



Numerous endeavours have been made to supply some 

 efficient pollen substitute. A perfect substitute is yet to 

 be found, but a number of mixtures have been furnished 

 to the bees with gratifying results. During the winter 

 months when brood rearing is at a standstill, little or no 

 pollen is required. It is the author's experience, however, 

 that a certain amount stored and carried over the winter, 

 is put to very valuable service in early spring, when the 

 fresh supply is rather tardy in making its appearance. 



As elsewhere explained, the nurse bees — two or three 

 weeks of age — are provided with a special gland very 

 active indeed at the age specified. In the case of older 

 bees this gland is almost dormant, hence the advisability 

 of having a huge force of young bees when rearing 

 queens. It is the secretion of this gland that is fed to 

 the larvae until weaned, when a mixture of honey, pollen, 

 and water is substituted. In the case of queen larvae this 

 secretion is fed continuously until sealing. With drones, 

 the weaning takes place much earlier. Laying queens 

 appear to be constantly fed with this secretion whilst 

 engaged in their oviparous duties, and this probably 

 accounts for the phenomenal ability to lay enough eggs 

 in twenty-four hours, the total weight of which is twice 

 that of the queen herself. 



It is difficult to decide, but it would appear, that the 

 bees control the number of eggs deposited by the amount 

 of food fed to the queen. Cheshire states that the pollen 

 grains found in the stomachs of the weaned larvae are in 

 a growing condition (i.e., live food similar to the diet of 

 nuts, etc., prescribed for humans). When this is fully 

 realised, the difficulty of providing an efficient and 



